Player Ratings: Tottenham v Newcastle United

Player Ratings: Tottenham v Newcastle United

1/12
Michel Vorm: 7

Apart from keeping out a couple of long-range strikes from Mousa Sissoko, he had little to do in the first half. He denied Jack Colback and sub Adam Armstrong in the second.

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2/12
Vlad Chiriches: 7

He looks a better full-back than he does a centre-back, even though he joined Spurs to play in the middle. Generally dealt well with both Yoann Gouffran and Remy Cabella.

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3/12
Federico Fazio: 6

Better in the air – as he should be – than in recent games but still dodgy in possession. Caught out of position twice. Still adapting to the English game.

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4/12
Jan Vertonghen: 7

Captain for the night, he was largely authoritative at the back but needs to cut out the silly mistakes, such as the one that should have led to a 55th-minute goal for the visitors.

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5/12
Danny Rose: 6

Back in the side after injury, Rose was kept busy by Cabella in the first half, and only when the game was won did he feel the freedom to go forward regularly.

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6/12
Nabil Bentaleb: 7

He crowned a decent performance with his first senior goal for Spurs. Not always precise in possession but is athletic, technically sound and has bags of personality.

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7/12
Benjamin Stambouli: 7

He plays only in the cups but this was a quietly effective display from the Frenchman. Makes up for his lack of pace with excellent positional sense.

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8/12
Nacer Chadli: 7

He can look ordinary for long spells only to make a decisive contribution. That was the story here, as the Belgian made it 2-0 to Spurs 34 seconds after the interval.

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9/12
Christian Eriksen: 8

The Dane is quickly becoming the attacking leader this team have craved since Gareth Bale’s departure. Some of his passing and one-touch play were world-class.

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10/12
Andros Townsend: 6

Granted a rare start, the England winger often seemed to be trying too hard. It is hard to escape the feeling he will be moving elsewhere in January.

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11/12
Harry Kane: 7

Without showing quite the same energy and dynamism as he did at Swansea, Kane still kept the Newcastle centre-backs honest and his 13th goal of the season was a ruthless finish.

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12/12
Roberto Soldado: 6

Scored Spurs’ fourth a minute after coming on.

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“That’s the most important thing, to focus on ourselves and not look at other teams. If we focus on ourselves, we will go far.

“Can we finish in the top four? When you look, we are in December and we are still in the game. We are not far from it. It will all be played in the second part of the season and we have to keep on going this way.”